‘Living …’ by Ms Paige Turner
The screenplay of the film was written by Kazuo Ishiguro: one of my favourite authors. He’s author of ‘Artist of the Floating World’, ‘Never Let Me Go’ and ‘Remains of the Day’.
Ishiguro’s themes often centre upon our achievements in life: what we have given ourselves to, sometimes without giving it too much thought. Mr Williams, played by Bill Nighy in the film ‘Living’ is given six months to live. What does he do with those months? What have we done with our lives?
I believe that if we never ponder this question then we have not had the privilege of growing old enough, or we have to merely survive or we are perhaps too self-satisfied.
My mother had Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘If’ pinned to her wall long before doing so became a cliché . I remember her reading the poem and emphasizing, ‘Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools;’
On the edge of my eighth decade I now understand. We are of course, the sum of all our parts. We hope to serve a purpose. Ishiguro’s message is surely, ‘Make sure that purpose carries meaning’.
20th Anniversary Celebration of Creative Ink for Actors – Saturday 13th May.
‘Living …’
24/04/2023 // by Jan Moran Neil
Yesterday, I and members of my extended family in Australia and the UK were in Stratford-upon-Avon for a unique experience. We crowded aboard the chain ferry. One of the oldest chain ferries still in use in the UK. It links the banks of the Avon and provides one with a chance to cross the river in the same way that Shakespeare would have chosen to cross this famous, swift-flowing current. Halfway across the ferryman stopped and there, in mid-steam, we offered my cousin’s ashes into the mercy of the river. In just a few moments it vanished as if dissolved with glee by the animated flow of history racing by, “Make sure that purpose carries meaning” – he loved his Shakespeare did cousin, Des. Committing long passages to memory was his passion and a full life reminding anyone who’d listen that Shakespeare and his works would live forever and that his purpose in life was to remind everyone of what a genius this man of theatre was and always would be. “People’s good deeds we write in water. The evil deeds are etched in brass.”
I wish I had met your cousin. I hope you gave the ferryman a coin for taking him across the portal.
yes, I can understand that.(I’ve got a terminal disease, (PsP–haven’t we all). sounds like the japanese film of the 50′s (can’t remember what it was called),,wheretheprotagonist finds he’s got cancer and only 6 months to live. He sees everybody in a different light,especially the girl in his office who doesn’t give a damn about anything. Set against the backdrop of japan in the 50′s with everybody flogging thenmselves to death asjapan industrialises.How are you?
Yes – that’s it, John. Written by the Japanese Ishiguro and set in the 50s. ‘Living’. I am still, thank you.
Read never let me go great read.It was the overwhelming sadness that appealed to me
Absolutely …